Drum handling apparatus



yJuly, 1958 E. R. KUGHLER 2,842,275

,l DRUM HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 2s. 195e 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR-c/w/'n Ku/(ler ATTORNEYS` July 8, 1958 E, R, KUGHLER Y 2,842,275

DRUM HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 23. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet :2

ATTORNEY5 United States Patent O DRUM HANDLING APPARATUS Edwin RussellKughler, New York, N. Y. Application February 23, 1956, Serial No.567,336 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-653) This invention relates to drum handlingapparatus particularly of the `type t-o be mounted on an ordinary lifttruck. More particularly my present invention relates to apparatus ofthis kind for gripping and lifting oil drums and the like in a verticalposition. p .n

The principal object of my invention isto provide an apparatus which iscompletely automatic in operation and wherein the parts are soconstructed that the forward movement of the truck against the drum tobe lifted brings the gripping members into engagement with the drumsurface and the upward vertical movement of the ift head of the truck,through the weight of the drum,

causes the gripping arms to grip the drum with a pressure proportionalto the weight of the drum so that the drums will be held firmly grippedno matter'hovvy rough the terrain over which the lift truck is moved norhow steep an angle it ascendsor descends in shifting the drums fromplace to place. v

My improved drum handling apparatus is further characterized by the factthat when the drums are deposited at their new location and the weightremoved from the gripping arms, the arms open -'automatically to permitthe truck to back away from the drums. v

The drum hoisting device of my present 'application is an improvement onthe hoisting apparatus for vertical drums shown in my co-pendingapplication Ser. No.l 230,858, iledlune 1l, 1951, for Hoisting Devices.for Drums and the Like.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my improved drum handlingmechanism in the several forms in which it is nowbeing manufacturedandsold, and in the said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with my improved mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of in drum carrying position;

. Fig. 3 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the drum grippingdevice` shown in Fig. l;l r

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig, 3;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is |a plan view of a drum hoisting apparatus for gripping twodrums instead of one;

Fig. 8 is a detail view of a portion of thel apparatus shown in Fig. 7;andl Fig. 9 is a detail view of the structure employed for attaching thedrum handling apparatus .to a lift truck with the forks removed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a conventional lift truck havingforwardly projecting forks which in the ordinary use of the truck yarethrust beneath lthe load, for example, a pallet on which the load to becarried is mounted. My improved drum gripping and lifting apparatus maybe attached directly to the vertically moving head of the lift truck byremoving the forks or the appaof the conventional lift'truck grippingdevice yfor single drums the drum showing the parts l the hinged bar 9.In this p 2,842,275, Patented July 8, 1958 ICC attached to the forksthemselves, as

firmly clamp the gripping and lifting apparatus to the forks of thetruck.

'Ihe drum lifting and gripping device per se comprises a bar 9, see Fig.6, of a length slightly less than the diameter of lthe drum to belifted, which bar is connected along its upper edge by a hinge 10 to.the front flange 6 of the plate 5. Attached to the face of the bar 9'at each end s a U-shaped bracket 11 having two forwardly-extendingparts 12 spaced apart fa suflicient distance, to receive between themthe hub of a swinging drum gripping arm 13. The arms 13 are curved totheradius of the drums to be lifted and of a length to project beyondthe transverse diameter of the drum when the gripping device is movedagainst the drum by the forward movement of the truck.y

Projectingrearwardly from each of the gripping |arms 13 is a bar 14. Thebars 14 are of a length to engage the face of the front flange 6 of theplate 5 when the arms are in their open position, that is, moved awayfrom each other by the springs 15 which are attached `to the swingingand gripping armsiand to the bottom edge of position the bar 9 is swungaway from the face of the ange 6 by the pull of the springs 15 sothat`.the swinging grip arms 13, when no drum is being handled, extendupwardly at their front ends and away from each other a distancesufficient for the Iarms to pass on opposite sides of the drum when thelife truck is moved forward to grip the drum.

The bars 14 are rounded at their ends which engage:

`obvious from a comparison of Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5

shows the arms in the position they are just before the drum contactsthe faces of the arms 13 at the inner ends. Fig. 6 shows the relativepositions of the drum and the arm after the truck is moved forwardly asuf- 'lcient distance to partially or completely close the swinging arms13 against the sides of the drum beneath one of the reinforcing ribs. Aswill be noted, `the forward movement of the *arm` against the drum hascaused the plate 9 `to swing `backwardly on the horizontal hinge 10 atits upper edge and thereby through the bars 14 has caused the curvedgripping arms to be swung toward each other about their vertical hingesto thereby firmly grip the drum beneath one of the horizontalreinforcing ribs. Now, when the lifting head of the drum is elevated theupper edges of the arms 14 will engage the reinforcing rib immediatelyabove the gripping arms and lift the ldrum olf the surface on which itis supported. As the weight comes onto the arms 14 the plate 9 ispressed hard against the llange 6 and there held until the drum is againdeposited on its supporting surface. When supporting the weight of thedrum the arms are held pressed toward each other to the full extentpermitted by the diameter of the drum 'and the length of the rearwardlyprojecting bars 13 with the rounded ends which engage the face of ange6.

and other liquid commodities which Kare shipped in drums varyconsiderably among drums of the same rated capacity. Some of the drumsused are as much as two inches greater in diameter, the capacity of thedrum being made 'up by the greater axial dimension for the smallerdiameter drums. My improved drum gripping and lifting mechanism as heredisclosed will handle all drums within this two inch variation indiameter wtihout adjustments of any kind. When handling a drum of adiameter near the maximum permitted the arms 13 will grip the drumbefore the plate 9 is swung to absolutely vertical position with itsface in engagement with the front face of the ange 6, whereas with thedrums of smaller diameter the arms may be swung inwardly to the fullextent of their movement without engaging the cylindrical surface of thedrum but in this position the distance between the arms is less than thediameter of the drum at the plane of the reinforceing ribs andconsequently the drum will be lifted by the reinforced ribs and the armswill be held inwardly in position to so support the drum by the weightof the drum resting on the arms.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown my drum gripping and lifting apparatusdesigned for lifting two drums at a time. The apparatus for this purposeas here shown comprises two separate swinging gripper arms 17, 18, eachsimilar to the corresponding arm 13 of the single drum lifting devicebut spaced apart from each other a distance slightly greater than twicethe diameter of the maximum size drum to be lifted. The plate 19 andange 20 are similarly of a length substantially equal to double thediameter of the drums to be handled. At the mid point between the arms17 and 18 is a forwardly projecting tongue 21 which is rigidly attachedat its base to the face of the flange 20. The tongue 21 is curved on itsopposite edges to substantially the same curvature as the arms 17, 18,and the forward end of the tongue proginal flanges 31 on Iall fouredges.

. 4 gripping and lifting mechanism wherein the mechanism is attacheddirectly to the lifting head instead of to the forks of the truck. Ashere shown the plate 30 is rectangular in shape and has downwardlyextending mar- The end flanges 31 `are spaced apart the same distance asthe upstanding arms at the ends of the fork for which the lift truck isdesigned and upstanding eyes 32 are welded to the upper face of theplate for suspending the cross shaft 33 of the lift truck when the forksare removed. The cross bar 9 of the gripping and lifting mechanism ishinged to the front flange 31 of the plate 30. The mechanism and itsoperation are otherwise the same as above described.

jects forwardly from the plate 19 a distance somewhat greater than theradius of the drum to be handled so that when the truck is moved tobring the inner endsof the arms 17, 18 against the walls of the drums tobe lifted the ends of the arms 17, 18 and the tongue 21 will be somewhatbeyond the transverse diameter of the drums.

On the upper face of the tongue 21 at its end, there is provided anupstanding lug or finger 22 of a diameter equal to the horizontaldimension of the tongue at this point, so that when the apparatus islifted by the vertical movement of the head of the lift truck the lug orfinger 22 will project in front of the reinforcing ribs of the two drumsbeing lifted to thereby prevent movement of the drums away from theplate 19 even though the lift truck is descending a steep incline.

The double drum apparatus of Figs. 7 and 8 will also handle drums ofdifferent dimensions varying as much as two inches, which is at presentthe maximum difference in drums of the same rated capacity.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a modification of my drum I claim:

l. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame for attachment to alift truck, a pair of gripping arms carried by said frame, each of saidgripping arms being mounted for movement toward and from the other andalso in a direction transverse to such movement, operative connectionsbetween said arm and said frame whereby relative movement of said armwith respect to said frame in one direction effects a relative movementof said arm in the transverse direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein downward movement of said arms withrespect to said frame causes said arms to move toward each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein downward and backward movement ofsaid arms with respect to said framel causes said arms to move towardeach other.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a frame for attachment to alift truck, a pair of gripping arms mounted on said frame, one of saidgripping arms being mounted for movement relatively to said frame in adirection toward and from the other arm and also in a directiontransverse to said movement, operative connections between said arm andsaid frame whereby the last named relative movement lof the frame andarm causes said arm to move toward or from the other arm.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the operative connection includes anintermediate member connected to the frame by a horizontal pivot and towhich the arm is connected by a vertical pivot.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the movable arm is provided with astop engaging the frame in position to cause the arm to move about itspivot when the intermediate member moves toward the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS459,430 Zahrn Sept. 15, 1891 875,078 Hoover Dec. 31, 1907 1,018,260Myrholm Feb. 20, 1912 2,582,663 Weiss Ian. l5, 1952 2,584,918 PuigSalsas Feb. 5, 1952 2,689,663 Shramek Sept. 21, 1954 2,704,167 FramheinMar. 15, 1955

